Monetary papers



. W. A. SMITH. METHOD OF PREVENTING THE ALTERATION R COUNTEEFEITING 0F MONETARY PAP ER S.

No. 193,299 Patented Ju1y17-, 1877.

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. Erie-County Savings Bank; 5 6 s 10, I v I. I v lorgea erg 9 11 12 in Currgncy and charge to acct of Book Nd:

N. PETERS. PHOTO'LITHOGRAF'HER. WASHIHGTON, D C.

"UNITED S ATES,

PATENT QFFICE.

WILLIAM A. SMITH, OF NIAGARA FALLS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH or -HIS RIGHT TO ANANIAS SMITH, or BUFFALO, NEW-YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE METHOD OF ,PR'EVENTINQTHE AL T ERAT |0N 0R COUNTERFEITING 0F MONETARYPAPERSu Specification forming part of Letters Patent Ila-$193,299, dated July 17, 1877; application filed i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. SMITH, of

Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and p the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bank-Checks, Drafts, Bonds, Bills ofExchange, or othernegotiable paper, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the detection of fraud in negotiable paper; and consists in the employment of a private scale by bankers which shall indicate by numbers, letters, or characters, a number, letter,

or character to be made to appear, previously prepared by the employment of a fluid that remains invisible until subjected to an ele-. ment that will make it appear on such negotiable paper made by a customer and not visible otherwise, such number, letter, or character to be written, stamped, or printed on such negotiable paper with an invisible fluid, or a fluid that, when dry, is invisible, and which, when subjected to heat or certain fluids, will become visible and remain so.

For illustration, the English alphabet having twenty-six letters, a card containing all these letters and twent -six numbers is placed in the hands of a banker by a customer, who

also holds a similar card. A private understanding between the banker and customer -enables the banker to know what number,

letter, or character on the card his customer will employ to indicate a point, number, letter, or character on a check, draft, &c., by which he may know the point where a character will appear, first prepared on the check, draft, &c., with a fluidthat will remain invisible until subjected to the action of the proper element to make it visible, which element the banker shall be informed of, that he may know what to employ for that purpose.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a card or scale for illustrating the means of the employment of my invention for the detection of fraud. Fig. 2 illustrates a bankcheck or other negotiable paper that may be employed in makingmy invention available for the detection of fraud.

The numbers and letters both being on the I card, and only the numbers being on the" check, the check having a designated point upon which a letter is always to be found, made with ordinary ink, and the amount written with a'fluid that will remain invisible until raised or made to appear as understood,'-if genuine, this'letter to indicate what number, letter, or character on the check indicates the point where a private number, letter, or character will become visible by the application of the element understood for producing its appearance.

For example, the character at the lower left-hand corner of a check will have written against it 100 with invisible fluid, (the true amount of the check,) which, when subjected to a certain element, will become visible and remain so, and be one means of detecting fraud; and the letter A ofthe card indicating 1 as the number on the check, just under which the iuitialof the maker,'(or any other character or characters he may choose,) made with invisible fluid, will appear by the application of the element understood for producing its appearance, is another way of detecting fraud.

The numbers, letters, or characters may be chosen at any time. The card always indicates the character chosen by a private mark or otherwise, so as toenable the banker to always select the true character on the check for applying the element designed to be employed for the detection of fraud, as follows: Suppose the letter H appears on the check (written with ordinary ink) in the small square at the bottom, the figure 8 on the card would indicate the figure 8 on the check as the point under which a character should appear, first prepared by means of a fluid that remains invisible until subjected to the action of a proper element for producing its appearance, this element having been used for that purpose.

From the above description it will be obvious that where a banker employs this means of protection, such a thing as raising the amount of a check of other negotiable paper, or of forging any negotiable paper, will be 'which scale a number sure of detection at his counter, and frequently save large amounts.

I do not confine myself to the exact form of check, draft, or card here shown and de-' scribed, but may employ any form that will come under this description.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new isv r 1. The method of preventing the alteration of bank-checks, drafts, and other monetary papers by means of a scale composed of numbers or characters, or both, printed or other- 7 wise placed on the check, in connection with the amount or value of the same, or otherwise written upon it in invisible ink, and from selected at will indicates to the holder the true value or genuine ness of said check, substantially in the man ner and for the purpose hereinbefore described and set forth.

2. The combination, with a bank check, draft, or other monetary paper provided with a scale of numbers or characters, or both, as above described and'claimed, of an independent card upon which is printed a corresponding scale, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM A. SMITH.

' Witnesses:

J AMES SANGSTER, F. P. STIKEB. 

